“I add my voice to the many members of the DC Council who say it is time for Mayor Bowser to
offer an explanation of the events surrounding the resignation of former DCPS Chancellor,
including the leadership decisions she made. This reckoning is important to allowing us to move
on.

Mayor Bowser owes DC residents an explanation of why she has allowed top officials to abuse
the lottery system for their own good. Wilson is the third person in the Bowser Administration who
used their power to get around the school lottery system that all other families must use, but only
the first to lose their job -- and only after a strong community response. As I have said before, the
mayor also owes residents an apology for behavior that happened under her watch, because
ultimately she is responsible.

How can parents have faith that our schools will be strengthened when they see things like this
happen? Parents deserve real accountability so they can rest assured that our public institutions
are serving everyone fairly.

The issue goes beyond the school lottery. When residents see people in positions of power use
their access and privilege to bend the rules in their favor, or worse, it undermines faith that our
institutions are set up to serve everyone fairly. This only exacerbates the growing racial and
economic divide and the inability of our leaders to tackle it with the urgency that it requires.
Holding our mayor accountable should be a top priority for the DC Council Chair. Yet to date DC
residents have heard nothing from the current Council Chair, who has not joined his colleagues.
The current Chair did not call for Antwan Wilson’s resignation. He has not asked the mayor for a
public accounting. He has not called on the mayor to take responsibility for actions of her senior
staff.

As Chair of the DC Council, I will strive to hold the Mayor and all elected and appointed officials
to the highest ethical standards. I will fight for a fairer, stronger DC, and that means an economy
and government that serves everyone equally.”

Ed Lazere

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Paid for by Ed Lazere for DC Chair. Kendrick Curry, Treasurer. 3045 Q Street SE. Washington, DC 20020. A copy of our report is filed with the Director of Campaign Finance of the District of Columbia Board of Elections.